The Lees-McRae College women’s basketball team placed five players in double figures en route to a season-high 103 points in a 103-43 win over Hiwassee College on Monday evening.
Lees-McRae shot at a 50.6 percent clip from the floor on the night, including a 58.5 percent mark in the second half, while limiting Hiwassee to a field goal percentage of 32.7 percent for the game. The Bobcats won the battle on the glass by a 48 to 33 margin,boa including an 18 to 8 edge on the offensive rds, while converting 31 Tiger turnovers into 47 points. Junior Icey Patterson paced the Bobcats with a game-high 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting, dishing out six assists and recording a contest-best six steals. Paige Whitaker added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with a game-high eight assists, while Kerri Belcher added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Chloe Parker and Candace Flower added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Dominique Stringer, Britnie McDannald, and Miata Mathis each poured in 11 points to pace the Tigers, as Bethany Allen pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. Diamond Lockett chipped in a team-high four assists, while McDannald added three helpers of her own. Lees-McRae jumped out to an early 16 to nothing lead and never looked back, pushing the margin to 41 to 12 on a Parker jumper with 3:07 to play in the first half before taking a 45 to 20 advantage into halftime. Patterson and Belcher poured in 13 and eight points, respectively, in the first half to pace the Bobcats, as Lees-McRae knocked down 17-of-40 attempts from the field in the opening 20 minutes. The Bobcats carried the momentum into the second half, opening the period with a 16 to 4 run to take a 61 to 27 lead on a Belcher layup with 12:57 to play. Lees-McRae would finish strong over the final seven minutes, closing out the game with a 31 to 4 surge to equal the final margin of 103 to 43. Lees-McRae returns to the court on Thursday when the Bobcats travel to Athens, W.Va. to take on Concord University.